Newly Developed Screening Tool Identifies Social Determinants of Health Risk Factors for People with Disabilities

Identifying societal influences on health can improve health outcomes and quality of life for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, USA, May 14, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Growing health disparities and inequities have led healthcare providers to begin focusing more on social determinants of health (SDOH). A newly developed health screening tool applies the principles of SDOH to help improve health outcomes for one of the most medically underserved populations nationwide:- people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2030 initiative, SDOH are the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality- of- life outcomes and risks. These risks are grouped into five domains: Education Access and Equality, Neighborhood and Built Environment, Health Care Access and Quality, Social and Community Context, and Economic Stability. (1)

To ensure the health of a community, it’s essential to understand the impact these aspects can have on an individual’s level of health. Attention to SDOH is critical for health equity and improving quality of life, especially for people with IDD, who statistically face far greater health disparities and inequities.

A study conducted by The Council on Quality and Leadership found that putting a greater focus on SDOH can have a significant impact on the health outcomes of people with IDD. It was found that emergency department visits were as much as 66% lower when people experienced continuity and security and 90% lower when people participated in the life of a community. Furthermore, the number of ‘challenging’ behaviors exhibited by people with IDD was 74% lower when people had meaningful work and activity choices. (2)

IntellectAbility’s Clinical Advisory Team recently developed a new screening tool to assist in identifying non-medical factors that influence the health outcomes of people with IDD. Social Determinants of Health Screening for People With IDD (SDOH-PWIDD) is now freely available to help aid supporters, healthcare workers, state developmental disability agencies, managed care organizations, and Medicaid agencies in better understanding and addressing the unique health needs of people with disabilities. SDOH-PWIDD will also be integrated into IntellectAbility’s Health Risk Screening Tool

Utilizing Healthy People 2030’s five domains of SDOH as the framework, questions are designed to address specific areas in each domain. The questions are intended to be answered by the supporters of the person with IDD and the person being screened to the maximum extent possible. Any question with an answer of “yes” will indicate an area that needs further evaluation.

“We believe this tool can empower supporters of people with IDD to identify the unique risks associated with social determinants of health,” says Dr. Craig Escudé, President of IntellectAbility. “Once these societal factors are identified, supporters can go deeper to understand the root of the problem and create health plans and strategies to ensure greater health outcomes and overall quality of life.”

IntellectAbility provides tools and training to agencies, governmental entities, and supporters of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to foster early recognition and mitigation of health risks, thereby improving health and wellness. One such tool is the Health Risk Screening Tool (HRST), of which they are the sole developer, producer, and distributor. The web-based HRST is the most widely used and validated health risk screening instrument for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. IntellectAbility also provides numerous health-related and person-centered service training for supporters of people with IDD. With an unrelenting focus, IntellectAbility works to fulfill its mission of improving health and quality of life for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and other at-risk populations. For more information, visit www.ReplacingRisk.com

Sources:
1. https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health
2. https://www.c-q-l.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/MLTSS-Matrix-Report-Social-Determinants-Of-Health-Infographics.pdf

Daniel Mutter
MutterWorks
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